


Lullaby of the Lost

by Karpo



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Altean Hunk, Altean Pidge, F/M, Fluff, Galra Keith (Voltron), Human Allura, Human Coran, M/M, There are strong platonic relations in this so it may come off as Allura/Lance, lilo and stitch AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-09 00:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7779391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karpo/pseuds/Karpo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith escapes the Galra empire after finding out he's half human. In order to keep himself from being captured, he befriends an Earthling known as Lance.(discontinued)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note: There is a bit of Galra/human/hybrid racism(speciesism?), but it only occurs when the empire is involved. Otherwise this is suppose to be super fluffy!

     When Keith had opened his eyes, it was pitch dark. The back of his head was throbbing and wherever he was, he couldn't move without bumping into a glass wall. There was a feeling of movement and faint chatting, followed by a small humming noise. He couldn't tell how long he'd been stuck in there, but he'd hoped to see something soon. His body became tense as he tapped his foot with impatience. Time was passing and nothing was changing. It would be nice if those muffled voices would come and help him.

     He was just about to call out for help when suddenly a hatch opened beneath him. He squinted at the light as his dome was lowered down. The voices became more clear and loud, and once his eyes adjusted he saw who was making all the noise.

     Keith was surrounded by thousands of Galra and other aliens. They had an arranged amount of face expressions, but most of them were angry. Keith's brow lowered by comparison. If anyone should be angry, it was him. He was the one knocked out and taken away. And for what? He wasn't the most well-behaved kid, but he never did anything bad enough to get himself put in a cage.

     Keith averted his gaze from the audience to see five Galra's positioned higher up from the crowd. His eyes widened from shock. It was the councilmen of the Galra empire. His foster parents had watched the Universal politics, so he knew a little bit about who they were, although he only knew two of their names. Zarkon being the head councilman and the man at the back; Sendak, who was more of an errand boy then a council member. Although Sendak seemed to think pretty highly of himself, because he was happy to voice his opinion.

     "What is that monstrosity?" He stared at Keith with disgust.

     "Monstrosity?!" Two people yelled the same thing. Keith looked over to his right to see an Altean staring at him. They looked like a young teen, one that was just as annoyed and frustrated as he was. Keith started for a few moments more. He had never met the child in his life, but the kid was unfazed and quick to continue.

     "He's a hybrid! The first of any Galra to be less impulsive."

     The whole audience was enraged. Keith was a little hurt by that comment to, but he quickly put his feelings aside to question the more important subject.

     "What do you mean by hybrid?"

     The child opened their mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the a slam on the table from Sendak.

     "This is an insult to nature! He must be kept captive."

     "You're an insult to nature!" The kid pointed towards Sendak. "Just look at your dumb robot arm, it's three times the size of your normal one! Everyone here knows you just got that to look tougher, but it's clearly--"

     "Enough!" Zarkon shouted. Sendak was taken aback by what the Altean had said. Keith assumed that it meant the child was on mark about their thoughts on the mechanical arm. Keith was kind of disappointed he didn't get to hear the rest of that insult. He would have liked to hear about how stupid that fake eyeball was too, even if they' d get in more trouble then they already were.

     "We can't trust that Gunderson isn't planning something else, so we'll do as Sendak suggested. Place the hybrid in captivity for now and take Pidge Gunderson away."

     Not even a second later, the Altean Pidge was given their own glass dome and was lowered down into the dark. The last thing Keith saw was them shaking their fist and yelling at the council.

     He wanted to feel sorry for the kid longer. Being taken to prison, especially the council's prison was harsh, but he needed to focus on what they were going to do with him next.

     "Take the hybrid away."

     "Wait! I have questions!" Keith shouted at the council, but they clearly took no interest in what he had to say.

     Zarkon waved his hand and began to walk off. Keith's platform then lowered itself and guided to a new area.

     Once the platform stopped moving, there were two Galra soldiers waiting to escort him into the ship nearby. One held high-tech cuffs, while the other held a plasma canon. He knew once those cuffs were on him, his chance at freedom would be over. He needed a plan, fast. As the glass dome was taken off, he kept his gaze on the floor. The guards approached closer, one stayed in front while the other walked behind him. He was just about to cuff Keith, when Keith spun around with his foot in the air, kicking the guard and using his own cuffs against him. The other was about to shoot, but hesitated when Keith used his friend as a shield. The canon holder didn't even have time to react before Keith rammed the both of them into the wall, rendering them both unconscious, making it easy to take the canon.

     Despite trying to escape, he was aware that there'd be ships on the one he was being escorted on, so he ran inside. There weren't many guards, so it was easy to sneak around, and eventually he did find the extra ships. They were all neatly placed in a row, but red lights began flashing and sirens were blaring. They had realized that he was missing. He quickly jumped into a ship, the nice red one, and took off before they started shooting.

     Moving it was easy. There was one handle and a red button. That meant go forward. That however wasn't enough to get him away. At least 20 ships began chasing after him. He continued to press a few buttons here and there, but it wasn't saving him from the enemies. His ship wobbled back and forth from all the laser shots until he then heard a loud bang. He could smell smoke, and the automated voice told him an engine was down. The ships surrounded Keith, making him tense up in fear. He looked around for a solution and noticed a handle in a glass case. He opened the hatch and pulled the lever. The automated voice told him not to engage hyper mode, but he'd rather die then be stuck in captivity. While playing with the lever, he found that it twists and assumed that the only other thing to do net was to push it again. He finally got what he wanted and sped away through space.

#

     Hunk was quietly researching in his office when there was a knock on the door.

     "Coming!" He yawned and stretched his arms before standing up and heading towards the door. Once it was opened, he saw Galra solider standing before him. Hunk scratched the back of his head.

     "Uh, yeah? What is it?"

     "Zarkon needs you at the front." Hunk groaned and hunched over. It wasn't very thrilling to be around Zarkon. He was the leader of everything after all. Hunk only took the job because it paid well and he was happy to study other creatures, but he had hoped to just do that. He would have been happy if he had never had to interact with Zarkon his whole life.

     He couldn't help but sigh. "What for exactly? See I actually have a lot of work to do?"

     The soldier frowned. "It's urgent. Didn't you hear the sirens?"

     Hunk shrugged. "Yeah, but that could mean anything."

     The Galra soldier was clearly losing patience. His voice became more stern. "He needs an expert on Earth."

     No one disobeys Zarkon or questions his motives. Anyone could be fired in an instant or worse by him. Hunk knew that very well, but there was no harm in trying. He quickly rummaged through his file cabinet to bring a few photos of Earth and headed back to the door. "Alright, let's go."

     As he was heading over, the solider told him of the situation, about how the half bred Galra escaped and landed on Earth. Once he arrived the conversation about what to do was already being discussed. It was a good thing he arrived when he did too, because Zarkon was coming up with some very bad ideas.

     "We'll have to gas the planet." Zarkon announced.

     "No no no, you can't do that." He walked up to Zarkon, waving his finger at him.

     "You see, Earth is a wildlife reserve. By gassing the planet you'll be contaminating all the useful resources they have."

     Zarkon turned toward Hunk. "I assume you're the expert?"

     Hunk smiled and shied away. "Oh well I don't know about expert." His reaction only made Zarkon's frown. Hunk got it. No time for jokes. He straightened his back and cleared his throat.

     "Agent Hunk at your service."

     Zarkon was quick to the point. "Can we not just destroy the island?"

     "No! Humans have colonies all over that planet!" Hunk gave his photos to Zarkon and let him shuffle through them.

     "Are they intelligent?"

     "No, but they're delicate. In fact, they can't even survive an asteroid without having to begin life over again."

     Zarkon sighed and handed the photos back. "What if we sent a military force?"

     "No, see, they're very simple. Seeing too much from another planet would create world wide panic."

     "Who then, Hunk, would you send for his extraction?"

     Hunk pondered on it for a moment while rubbing his chin before answering. "Maybe a uh, brother or something? A close Uncle?"

     Zarkon rolled his eyes and sighed. "Follow me. I know someone."

     Hunk followed Zarkon through the ship and down a long corridor. On each side were square cages with large glass windows and all sorts of alien's dressed in dark one pieces and purple crop tops. There was a platform in the middle of it all, which when they stepped on it, it ascended.

     "Whoa geez. How many prisoners are here?"

     Zarkon didn't answer, which didn't bother Hunk because he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. As he looked up he saw that the amount of jails cells went far beyond his view. He was well aware that this was the place where the worst criminals were taken. It made him a little tense to wonder what kind of person was going to be placed on Earth.

     When they stopped, the glass door in front of them lifted and the one that was in there was a small Altean laying down and reading a newspaper. Hunk rubbed his eyes as the kid sat up and placed the newspaper down. Both they and Hunk were in awe.

     "Pidge!" Hunk raced over to the young Altean and lifted them into a warm embrace.

     "Hunk?" They smiled and hugged him back, "Why are you here?"

     "I became a planet expert guy!"

     "You know this child?" Zarkon interjected. Hunk had a big smile on his face.

     "Yeah, we've been friends for years!"

     "Looks like you're older then me now." Pidge added.

     "Yeah you've got to stop using the cryo-pod all the time. At this rate I'm going to be an old man by the time you're 18."

     "Well technically--"

     "Ahem." Zarkon interrupted, "I'm sure you both have a lot of catching up to do, but can we get to the manner at hand?"

     "Oh right." Hunk let Pidge down before they began conversating. "Did Keith get away?"

     "I'm sure this is no surprise to you?"

     Now it was Pidge who had a big smile. "Humans are pretty sly when they want to be. And that impulsive Galra behavior almost makes him unstoppable."

     "This is exactly why you must bring him back. And to reward you, we are willing to trade your freedom for his capture."

     Pidge sighed and rubbed the nape of their neck. "Keith isn't going to come easily... Maybe if I had a plasma stun canon I could get him in time to--"

     "Plasma canon granted."

     "Uh Plasma stun canon." Hunk corrected.

     Zarkon ignored Hunk once again.

     "Do we have a deal Gunderson?"

     Pidge nodded. "Yeah."

     It was Hunk's turn to speak again. "Okay, this is great. We're making progress. There's just one problem. Um, It's a delicate planet, remember? How are they suppose to know what to watch out for?"

     "You'll go with them."

     "Oh yeah, good idea... wait what?" Before he could protest, Zarkon was already out of sight. Moaning in agony, Hunk turned back to his little friend.

     "Pidge! What have you gotten me into? How am I suppose to capture a grown man with Galra fighting instincts?"

     Pidge shrugged. "Hey, I didn't say anything. You're the one who pushed Zarkon with all your concerns. Besides you're an Altean. We're just as strong. Maybe even stronger."

     "Yeah but maybe I'm not strong enough. Not all us Alteans can pack a punch."

     "But you can! I've seen you do it!"

     "But--"

     "Hunk." Pidge had an annoyed tone in they're voice. Hunk wanted to argue more, but he knew he couldn't get out of the situation anyway. He sighed at what events were to come. Pidge gave Hunk a pat on the back, at least they felt a little bad for dragging their friend into this mess.

     "It won't be that hard. He's just one guy."

     "Yeah! One guy who escaped the biggest police force in the universe!" Okay. Now Hunk was done.

     "Well... let's head to Earth."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> And thank you Taffy for giving me permission to make this AU after being inspired by theirs!  
> Make sure to go check out Taffy's Lilo and Stitch AU!  
> http://taffydesu.tumblr.com/tagged/voltron  
> And here's the permission if you were curious.  
> http://taffydesu.tumblr.com/post/148589600354/i-was-wondering-if-you-wouldnt-mind-me-making-a


	2. A Loving Relationship

     An array of fish swam in separate directions as Lance moved through the water. With his goggles on he waved to his friends and headed up towards the sunlight. He glanced around to get a good look at where he was, and headed for land. He was lucky to get there just in time for a wave. He smiled in appreciation for the wave, who quickly guided him back to shore. As soon as his feet touched the sand, he grabbed his blue duffel bag, which was resting beside a rock, and ran through the trees and bushes to head to his dance class.

     Lance was still dripping wet once he entered the building. He would have loved to dry off, but he heard music coming from the front. That meant his class had already started. As he tied his grass skirt he sneaked a peak at what was going on. He saw the five young girls in the front and four at the back, with who he danced with. Lance's spot was left empty as the girls moved around. He glanced over to his teacher Matt, who was rubbing his temples as he looked away. Lance knew this was his chance to jump in. He tiptoed behind the ladies and slid into his spot, and with the way he danced, It almost seemed like Lance was there all along. They all swayed their hips and spun in unison, while clapping their hands on point and stretching their limbs out. Then at last, shouted the same line:

     "He inoa no kalani kalakaua kulele."

     For a moment everything seemed fine, until one of the girls beside him slipped on the puddles of water, bringing another with her, and somehow creating a ripple effect for the two others beside him. He was pretty sure they fell on purpose. Out of all the young adults, Lance was the only one standing. The small children took a step back and Matt approached him with concern.

     "Lance, why are you all wet?"

     Lance shrugged. "I just thought I'd go for a swim before coming here! Dancing is great, but I have to keep up my swimmers body." He lifted his arm and flexed with a smile.

     It was suppose to be a joke, he knew he wasn't actually bulging with muscle, but no one was laughing. Matt sighed and the teens groaned, with a follow up by the little girls. Well, if he wasn't going to win them with that one, maybe he could try something else.

     "Not to mention, all the ladies at the beach needed their daily dose of Lance." Still, no one was laughing. In fact, Matt's face changed from concern to disappointment.

     "Lance, I need you to take this dance class seriously if you're going to be in here."

     "I am taking it seriously!" Now Lance was frowning too.

     A scoff was heard from behind him. "Yeah, fooling around in the ocean with a bunch of girls instead of attending class is really taking it seriously." He looked over at the teens who were all gathered around their leader. She stood there with her head tilted up, proud of her snarky comment as she twirled her brown wavy hair. Lance thought she was cute at first, but she was quick to show him her nasty side.

     "Girls please." Matt waved his hand to them and then place is focus back on Lance.

     "Maybe you should wait outside."

     "What no! Matt please, I was only a little late!" He looked Matt straight in the eyes, hoping to see a change of heart, but Matt's decision was absolute.

#

     Lance was sitting at the top of the porch when the little girls came bursting out the door, followed by the teens who took their time chatting and looking at their phones, and then Matt, who smiled at Lance and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

     "Let's try again next time."

     Lance sighed. "Yeah..." And with that, Matt went back inside and Lance headed over to the girls. They were standing in the shade, talking about where they should eat while browsing the internet. Lance walked closer and joined their circle.

     "Hey ladies!" He gave them a big confident smile. They didn't take a liking to that and backed away from him. Their leader again, facing front while the rest hid behind.

     "What do you want?"

     "I was just wondering what you were all up to?" He tried to take a step closer, hoping the last back up was a fluke, but they continued to steer clear of him.

     "None of your business, creep."

     "Why don't you head over to your girls down at the beach?" There were bitter smiles and head nodding to that notion.

     Lance wanted to retaliate, but his end game was to finally befriend them, so he just continued to smile.

     "Well, they're probably gone by now. Besides, I want to hang out with you!"

     The girls snickered and clicked their tongues. "You can't hang out with us Lance. Go find someone else to bother."

     He didn't have anything else to add, so he watched in defeat as the girls laughed, said their "yeah"s and walked off. Once they were out of view, he sighed while kicking the dirt, and began trudging home.

#

     It was late afternoon by the time Allura got home. The sun was almost setting and crickets were already chirping. All she wanted to do was go inside and sleep, but from the sound of blaring Elvis music coming from within her house, she knew she was going to have some trouble. She sighed before walking up the stairs and opening the door.

     "Lance!" As she closed the door, she saw that Lance was laying on the couch reading women's magazines, with empty bags of chips and soda cans surrounding him. He lazily waved to Allura while keeping his eyes on his reading. She tensed up with irritation and headed over to the record player to shut off the music. Lance placed his magazine down and looked up.

     "Hey! What'd you do that for?"

     "What are you doing? Look at this mess you've made!" She gestured towards all the trash laying around.

     Lance groaned and continued to stare at the pages of his magazine, "It's fine, I'll clean it up later."

     "You always say that and you never do!"

     "Well this time I will!"

     She wasn't going to play that game again, where she has to constantly ask Lance to clean up only to only be told he'll do it later. In the end she was always the one to clean it. She walked closer to him and ripped the magazine out of his hands, then threw it to the side.

     "Get off your lazy butt and clean up."

     Lance of course didn't like that and stood up to face her. "Hey, you don't have to be that way! I just had a bad day alright?"

     "No!" She pointed at his chest while she spoke, continuously poking it in the process and making Lance back up every time. "You don't get to have bad days! You don't work three jobs a day! You don't have to pay bills or a mortgage and care for a bratty teen all at the same time! Don't talk to me about bad days!"

     She got Lance there. He tensed up sometime during that argument. His fists were squeezed tight and it looked like he was doing everything he could to avoid shedding tears, although it looked like they'd drop anytime soon. Just before anything else could happen, there was a knock on the door, followed by a familiar voice.

     "Hello! Allura? Lance? It's me, Coran!"

     Allura smiled and headed for the door, forgetting about the previous events. Once she opened the door she jumped at Coran and gave him a big hug. He smiled too and returned the embrace.

     "Coran! It's so good to see you!" She squeezed him tighter.

     He chuckled, "It's good to see you too Allura! And you too Lance!"

     "Hey Coran." Lance gave him a wearily smile.

     Allura looked at Lance and back at Coran. Lance was still trying to smile, but she could see the red around his eyes and hear the rasp in his voice. She assumed Coran could tell too.

     "It's good to see you, but I'm pretty tired. I think I'm going to head to bed."

     "Well alright, I'll see you later buddy." Lance waved goodbye and headed for his room.

     Allura stood to the side to let Coran in and shut the door. It was quiet for a moment as they both contemplated. And then Coran spoke.

     "Allura, can I talk to you about something?"

     "Of course Coran, what is it?" She asked out of courtesy but she knew it was about the house.

     "It's about your living condition." He paused for a moment and sat down on the couch.

     "Are you still working two jobs?"

     "Three actually."

     He frowned. "Does Lance have a job?"

     "No, but we're working on it."

     Coran looked at her with solemn eyes. "Allura, I know you want to keep the house for Lance, but you're working too hard. When I can, I'll come and help around the house, but I think it's best you both let this house go."

     She shook her head. "No. We have to keep trying." She knew he meant well, she really did, but she couldn't just up and abandon the house. It meant a lot to her too after all. Coran didn't argue further, probably knowing Allura wouldn't give up easily, and sat up, giving her his best smile.

     "Well, I won't keep up your free time. You need proper rest if you're going to work hard!" They gave each other one last hug and say their goodbyes before Coran walked out the door.

#

     Later that night, Allura knocked on the door of Lance's room and peeked inside. He was sitting there holding another magazine, but it didn't seem like he was reading it. With a slice of pizza in one hand, Allura approached cautiously.

     "Hey, can I come in? I brought a pizza encase you were hungry."

     Lance wiped any still existing tears, glanced her way and shook his head 'no'. Allura then placed the pizza aside and sat at the edge of his bed.

     "Lance, I'm sorry I yelled at you."

     Lance leaned back into his pillow and closed the magazine, then began rubbing the edges of the magazine as he spoke.

     "It's okay. I know you've been working really hard."

     "I said too much though."

     Lance gave her a small smile, "Besides, siblings are suppose to fight. And I like you better as a sister then a mom."

     "Aww." She went in to give Lance a hug.

     "And I like you better as a potential partner then a sister." She let go and punched him in the shoulder.

     He winced and cried out. "Ow!"

     "Lance! We've been siblings for years! That's gross!"

     "I know, I was joking!"

     Allura growled, but after seeing Lance pout, she decided to subside her irritation for bonding purposes.

     "Move over. Let me sit next to you."

     Lance obeyed and shuffled over, allowing Allura stretch her legs on his bed and get comfy by his side. She then pulled him in and let his head rest on her shoulder, while her arm being warped around his. Knowing Lance's constant crave for affection, she knew he'd quickly release any tension and sink into the warm embrace. It felt good for her too. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax and meditate.

     After a few moments of snuggling, Lance began speaking again. "I flirted with the girls today again."

     Allura, opened her eyes. "Oh? And how did that go?"

     "Not well. I got kicked out of class, and when I tried to apologize, I did it again and they just laughed at me."

     "Why don't you try being more honest?"

     "I am trying, but then I panicked and..." He sighed. "I don't know."

     She squeezed him tighter, wishing she could do more for him. Most times he was pretty easy to read. If he was hungry or irritated or happy, she would know and he would express it, but even Lance had his moments of mystery that she couldn't fully figure out. All she could do was hold him in her arms when he needed it.

     As they continued their embrace, the lights began flickering until they shut off completely. Lance raised his head and the both of them looked at the lamp on the side table, then at the green glow coming from outside the window. Lance climbed over Allura and rushed to the window. Allura followed behind and they watched as the ball of green fire fell from the sky, creating a cloud of smoke after hearing a crash. Allura just watched in awe, but Lance was quick raise his hand and speak.

     "A falling star! I call it!"

     "That was not a falling star."

     "Well, whatever it was, it was magic. Get out!"

     Lance began nudging Allura towards the door, in which she smiled and dug her heels into the wood. Lance kept trying to push, but Allura was much stronger then he was.

     "Allura!" Lance called out, "Leave. The. Room."

     "Oh I'm sorry, I must be frozen in time or something."

     "No you're not! Get out!"

     No matter how much Lance pushed, Allura wouldn't budge, so he stopped and tried another strategy, then began pulling her out of the room. She could have stood her ground, but she decided that he had enough, and let him pull her away. Still smiling once she was out, Lance looked her in the eyes and smiled a little back, before shutting his door.

     Allura wasn't going to let him keep his wish a secret though. She quietly turned the door nob and let it open a crack to listen in. She watched as Lance kneeled down at his bed, holding what looked like to be a pastel rainbow rock, while chanting the same phrase over and over again.

     "I wish I wish with all my heart, to find a friend who.... ugh"

     He tried again.

     "I wish I wish with all my heart, to find a friend who... knows the start."

     Allura frowned and placed a hand on her forehead as he listened into Lance's weird wishing ritual.

     "I wish I wish with all my heart, to find a friend who... likes to art... who's good at darts." Lance sighed.

     Allura walked off before she blew her cover. He wanted a friend. She got it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for bad jokes and angst. You can find me at Karpostuff on tumblr if you want to say hi!


	3. Rocky Introduction

     After the ship crashed, Keith stumbled out and fell to his knees. His head was spinning and it took a few moments before he could stand again. Groaning as he felt every bruise and cut with each movement, he twisted and turned despite the pain to check for any collateral damage. His whole body was sore but he sighed with relief to see that there weren’t any broken bones on his body. He noticed a strange coloring on his hands though. To get a better look he walked closer to the fire surrounding the ship and took off his gloves. He was startled to see that his hand was turning peach instead of his usual purple skin. He quickly took of his jacket to see how far it spread, and from the looks of it his purple skin was almost gone.

     “So this is what they meant by hybrid.” Keith said to himself.

     He examined his body a little more to check for anymore changes. Lifting up his shirt and pants leg, he had noticed that almost his whole body was a new color, except for a few spots of purple left. And from patting his head with his hands, he noticed his ears had become round and hairless.

     He wished he had more time to think about this new version of himself. He wished he could have asked the council more; wished the would have listened. He wished the Altean child was here. They seemed willing to talk, but there was no time to think. Keith knew fairly well that the Galra empire was great at finding their prisoners, so the only way he could keep his freedom is if he moved away from the crash.

     After putting his jacket and gloves back on, he began walking into the forest. At first it was relatively easy, since the fire helped light his path, but eventually the light faded. Usually it was easy to see in the dark, but his eyes must have changed from their usual solid yellow to something else. His vision eventually adjusted to the dark but it didn’t compare to what he was use to. Now the only thing that helped him see were the stars that shined through the leaves.

     He continued on for what seemed like an hour before he began hearing the familiar sound of crashing waves. As he walked closer the sound grew louder and louder until he finally saw the ocean. Keith’s shoulders eased tension as the cool breeze hit his face and the salty air wafted by. He was in such a panic that he hadn’t stopped to notice how beautiful the planet was. Along with the ocean, the forest had soft chirping noises and small bugs that blinked, and when he looked up, every star was shining brightly along side the moon. Although he didn’t actually live near the ocean as a child, it was a subtle thing that reminded him of home. He decided it was the best place to sleep for the night.

     Lucky for him noticed benches that were not too far from the beach. He walked over to one and crawled under the bench table to rest. The grass was mixed with sand and smelt like it had just been cut, but Keith was too tired to find a better place to sleep, and drifted off.

     The next morning Keith woke up to a commotion in the distance. After rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms, he crawled out from under the bench, dusted the sand off, and looked over to see what was going on. There were a group of people holding plastic bags and metal sticks. They looked like Alteans but their ears were round like his new ones and they didn’t have any colorful markings on their cheeks. He watched as they all gathered around one person and listened as that person spoke, then soon after spread out. Every time they found trash laying on the ground, they’d poke it with the stick and place it in the bag. He assumed this was their way of cleaning the beach.

     He rolled up his sleeve, checking to see his skin color, and patted his head to check his ears. It seemed he wasn’t Galra anymore, but he couldn’t fully tell if he was one of them, so he hurried the other way.

     Or at least he tried to.

     When he looked down and saw the red dot on his chest, he immediately jumped away, just in time to avoid the plasma being shot at him, and hid behind a tree.

     “Aw, come on!” A familiar voice yelled in the distance.

     Keith peeked around the tree to confirm who it was. Far in the distance he saw two Alteans sticking their heads out from behind the bushes. One was big with dark skin and a button nose. He seemed to be nervous as he rested one hand on his friends shoulder and bit his nails with the other. The other was the small child he had met at the council, holding the plasma canon and aiming it at Keith.

     “Pidge?” Keith breathed.

     Pidge shot again and Keith returned to hiding. He grit his teeth and clenched his fist, feeling disappointed and angry at himself for thinking Pidge was on his side. He was hoping to get some answers from them, but he’d rather live a happy life not knowing then be captured and know everything. In order to do that though, needed a safe place to stay.

     Keith looked over at the group of humans not too far from him. There were plenty of them who could keep him safe. Maybe one of them would. He ran off towards them, using the trees as shields encase Pidge decided to shoot again. He took one look back to make sure he was safe and walked onto the sand to the nearest person he could see.

     There was a boy who looked to be about his age. He had short brown hair and light brown skin. His shoulders were hunched and his lips were pouting. He seemed like he was in a bad mood, but that didn't stop Keith from approaching him. He walked forward, speeding up due to anxious thoughts in the back of his mind of any possible enemies behind him, and placed his hand on the sulking man’s shoulder.

     “Ah!” The boy jumped and backed up, staring at Keith with widened eyes.

     Keith let go, being taken by surprise as well, but re-cooperated and began to speak.

     “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to say hi.”

     “Oh, um hey.” He smiled and waved with the metal stick still in his hand, but after a quick analyzation of Keith, he frowned again.

     “Geez man, what happened to you? You look like you just got out of a fight.”

     “Uh...”

     “And you smell like a wet dog.” The teen leaned his head closer to Keith and sniffed, then pulled back and plugged his nose with his fingers. Keith’s brow lowered as he scowled. He didn’t know what a dog was, but he knew he smelt bad, so it must have been an insult.

     "Oh and like you smell so great?” Keith retaliated.

     The boy gasped, “What? I smell just fine! Take that back!” 

     Both of them were scowling and glaring at each other in the eyes, their faces only two inches apart. Keith knew he was wrong. The boy he was staring at actually smelt like lavender. In fact everything about his physique made Keith wonder if he was only there to pose for cameras. His skin was void of any blemishes. Keith swore it would be soft to the touch, and his nails were rounded out and filed evenly. Not to mention plucked eyebrows and silky hair. It made Keith even angrier, thinking this guy probably had an easy life, but there was no time for further arguing.

     Another red dot had appeared on Keith's shoulder. Keith backed up while the other looked behind them. There was a small ‘pewing’ sound from within the trees, but after that nothing happened. Keith then heard the guy mumble something under his breathe, but he couldn’t make it out, and before Keith could ask, the teen then turned back to Keith and grabbed him by the shoulders, with the metal stick and bag still in his hands.

      He looked serious and concerned. “What’s you name?”

     “Uh, Keith.”

     “Okay, I’m Lance.” He held a firm grip on Keith’s shoulders, “Keith, why are people shooting at you?”

     “What makes you think they’re shooting at me?”

     “Uh, because the red dot was on _your_ shoulder. Not mine.”

     Lance got him there. “Okay so they are shooting at me.” Keith shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

     “Why are they shooting at you?” He asked in a stern voice as he squeezed Keith’s shoulders harder. It didn’t hurt, but Keith couldn’t help but flinch and brush his hands off.

     “Why do you even care? It has nothing to do with you.”

     “It has everything to do with me!” He shouted loud enough that a few people looked this way for a moment. Lance noticed and lowered his voice. “You’re my friend. I can’t let you get bullied!”

     Keith raised an eyebrow. “Since when are we friends? We just met.”

     “Yeah but we just bonded over comparing smells, which still needs to be discussed because I know I smell good,”

     Keith chuckled and felt the smile linger on his face. “Well, there’s no reason they’re after me. They’re just some jerks. Nothing special.”

     “Is that why you look the way you do? Because of them?”

     “No, not really. I just tripped over a lot of thing while running away.”

     It was partly true. A lot of his cuts and bruises were from escaping, crashing, and running through the forest. Lance didn’t seem to be buying it though. He hummed as a response. His eyes were half closed and he was pouting again, but Keith wasn’t going to change his answer. He folded his arms in protest and stared Lance in the eyes. Lance must have understood Keith's gesture, because he sighed and nodded.

     “Alright, alright, I’ll buy it... for now.” The bag of trash rustled as he waved his finger at Keith.

     He then began looking around and instinctively Keith turned and began looking too, but was stopped when Lance pulled him by the arm and guided him to a new spot. They then approached a women with white hair. Her skin was darker then Lance’s and had eyes with facets of blue. When she saw him come closer she gave him a big smile and trotted over, her purple diamond shaped earrings shimmering from the sun's rays with every step.

     “Lance!” She called out.

     He waved with his free hand and gave a wide grin back. “Hey Allura! I made a friend! His name is Keith!”

     “I can see that!” She continued to smile as she came over, but once she got closer, it faded, just like Lance first did.

     “What happened to your clothes? And why are you so dirty?” She then scrunched her nose and pinched it with her fingers. “And what is that smell?”

     Keith frowned hard. He wondered if it was common for humans to be so blunt or if it just ran in their family. Lance must have gotten use to Keith’s scent though, because he wrapped his arm around Keith’s shoulder, pulling him close and continued to smile.

     “He’s dirty because he needs help. Can he live with us?”

     “What?!” Allura and Keith yelled at the same time.

     Keith was going to ask anyway, as humiliating as it was to do so. He need the protection. Even if he learnt to understand this planet, Pidge and the big guy could easily break into his own home and he’d be done for, but for someone to willingly invite him was definitely unexpected.

     Lance stood there, smiling like a child who just found a box of free kittens. Allura however wasn't fazed by Lance’s smile and was willing to speak her mind, no matter who was present.

     “No.” She stated. “You can’t invite a man you just met to live with us. Let alone one who refuses to take a shower.”

     “Hey, I take showers! I just haven’t had the chance lately!”

     “Yeah! See? He’s not dirty on purpose!” Lance added.

     Keith’s temper was getting the better of him. He had it with these two judging his outer appearance like as if he wasn't aware of it himself. He wanted to storm off and find a different family to take him in, but he knew it was unlikely that someone else would be as hospitable as Lance, so he bit his lip, trying to hold his tongue, and stared down at his feet.

     Seeing Keith so frustrated must have given Allura a change of heart, because after a sigh, her expression softened and the subject was changed.

     “Okay, you can stay with us.”

     Lance squealed and pulled them both in for a hug. Keith smiled and let out a soft sighed of relief.

     “Thank you.” Keith breathed.

     “But don’t think living with us will be so easy! You both need to get jobs, and if you misbehave and ruin our home, I will personally kick you out and throw you into the ocean.”

     Lance’s laughed nervously at that. Keith guessed it wasn’t a joke and nodded silently.

     "Glad we’re all in agreement here!” Allura said, clapping her hands, “Now I have to go to work, so why don’t we give these trash pickers and bags back and you two and walk around town and get to know each other more.”

     “You don’t want us to look for jobs?” Keith asked, resulting in Lance elbowing his side.

     “Ow!” Keith winced, “What was that for?”

     “Don’t ask! We almost got away without having to do that!”

     Allura giggled, “Actually, no. I want you, Lance, to take Keith home and let him use the shower, then I want you two to bond. You’ve barley known Keith for an hour and having a stranger living with us is uncomfortable. So get to know each other.”

     The two boys nodded and the three handed back the volunteer supplies. Allura then lent Lance some money and gave him a hug, then ruffled Keith’s hair and went her separate way, leaving the two to explore the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is late! This week was a bit hectic for me, but I should be posting more frequently soon! Go check out my tumblr if you wanna see my art! Maybe I'll even draw some stuff for the story! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/karpostuff


	4. Keith Versus the World

     After Allura’s departure, Keith and Lance headed to their house. They walked down a long dirt road on the side of a river. The house was surrounded by foliage and no other sign of civilization could be seen except for a single stone stair case that led into the forest. As they arrive in front of the isolated home, Keith tilted his head up at the wooden house presented to him. The walls were a pastel yellow with green window sills and stairs to match, while the roof and door were red. Keith watched Lance walk up the rickety wooden stair case, cringed with every creek, hesitant to place his own foot on the a step.

     “Is this really safe to walk on?” Keith asked.

     “What are you scared?” Lance looked down at Keith with a mocking tone and sly smile. It made Keith growl and storm up the stairs.

     “I wasn’t scared. It just doesn’t seem safe.” Keith stated in a defensive tone.

     “Whatever you say buddy.” Lance chuckled with a shrug at Keith’s reaction, only resulting in Keith growling again. However once the door had been unlocked and opened, his focus had changed.

     Keith was in awe to see that almost everything was made of wood. The floor, the tables, even the chair, except for the yellow cushions and green pillows laying on top. It was all so different. Any planet that had enough intellect to travel space had discarded the use of wood for the sleek metallic design. In today’s universe, wood was something you’d only see in history tablets or a museum. Even then the wood was fake.

     Keith reached his hand out, ready to explore and touch everything, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. When he looked over he saw Lance, who’s lips were curved into a smile, but his eyes clearly stated confusion.

     “Do you want to take a shower later?”

     Keith shook his head. “No thanks. I’ll do it now.”

     And so Lance guided Keith to the bathroom. He explained to Keith what soap and shampoo he should use, along with how to get hot water, then pointed to a clean towel and allowed Keith his privacy.

     Once Keith had washed himself he felt more refreshed then he had in ages. The shower knob squeaked as he turned it off. The white noise of running water came to a halt and he pushed the curtain aside, stepping out of the tub and feeling the cool tiles under his feet. Still dripping wet, he grabbed the towel and patted himself dry. He then wrapped he towel around his waist and grabbed a comb that was laying on the counter. As he combed his hair he glanced to the right and saw a pile of clothes neatly folded on the side. Assuming it was for him, he picked them up and began changing.

#

     Lance laid on the sofa with his head resting on the arm, cushioned by the decorative pillows. He opened one of his magazines, but he wasn’t reading it again. He couldn’t help but think of Keith. Despite his aloof attitude he seemed quite in awe at the house. It was almost as if he’d never been in one. Lance wondered if Keith was secretly a wealthy child who had a giant house and marble floors. It would explain the reason for his bullies. He didn’t want the arranged marriage and his father’s company, so he ran off. His butlers were ordered to chase him ever since. As Lance giggled at his story for Keith, he heard Keith’s voice from behind him.

     “What are you laughing at?”

     Lance glanced to the side to see Keith leaning down, trying to get a good look at the magazine. His once wet dog smell was now replaced with lavender soap and his scraggly hair shined with a few drips of water.

     “Oh, it was nothing really. Just reading gossip.” He placed it on the couch and stood up to face Keith.

     “Hey you look good in that!” Lance placed his hands on his hips, proud of his style choice and relieved that the white t-shirt and jeans fit. Keith seemed to appreciate it too.

     “Yeah thanks man, I feel a lot better.”

     Lance felt a big smile cross his face. A little embarrassed that such a simple compliment made him so happy, he changed the subject and gestured towards the door with his thumb.

     “So, are you ready to go?”

     “Yup. Let’s head out.”

     As they began walking passed stores Lance saw his classmates parked by a corner with their bikes in hand.

     “My friends!” He shouted as he ran to them.

     They seemed to be enjoying themselves but groaned and rolled their eyes as they saw Lance approach and tried to ride away. Lance however had already blocked their path by the time their feet were on the pedals.

     “Hey ladies!” Lance tried to lean on their leader’s handles, but she was too quick for Lance and backed her bike up, causing Lance to trip, but that didn’t stop him from smiling.

     “I wanted to apologize for coming off the wrong way at dance class. I didn’t mean to creep you out.”

     “Well you did and you are. Apology not accepted. Not get out of my way before I run you over!”

     Just then Keith, who didn't’ care to run finally caught up. Lance placed his hands on Keith’s shoulder and smiled, more genuinely this time. It was exciting to introduce someone to a friend for the first time. He wanted to show Keith to everyone in town. The girls however didn’t seem to care.

     “Who is that?”

     “I made a new friend! His name is Keith!”

     Keith gave them a small smile and waved.

     “Where’d you find him, the 70s? That mullet is so out of style.”

     “Uh...”

     Before Lance even realized, Keith had stormed over to the sassy leader and pushed his hands down on her bike’s grips. He leaned closer and glared into her eyes, creating fear and confusion into hers, and once she seemed stunned, Keith pushed her off the bike with his foots, steered it towards Lance and called out to him.

     “Lance get on!”

     Lance didn’t allow himself to process what happened. He quickly sat on the handle bars and allowed Keith to pedal away, laughing as he heard the girl call for help in the distance.

#

     Keith sighed with relief as they rode the bike. When they had been talking, he saw Pidge and their friend standing by some fruit not too far from them, wearing shirts with a flower pattern and wigs while watching behind their newspapers. That didn’t hide their ears and pastel face markings though. Keith needed to get away before they got too close. And those girls were rude anyway.

     Keith rode the stolen bike as fast as he could and smiled knowing that Lance was enjoying himself. He didn’t ask any questions and just followed along, laughing in spite of the girl. Keith was glad to have Lance as his new friend. He smiled a lot and was quick to be friendly. 

     And he was cute. 

     As they rode along the country side, Keith thought of nestling his face into Lance’s back and drifting off with that lavender scent in the air. His face grew hot and he could feel a silly grin on his face, almost forgetting that they’d just met a few hours ago. He was glad that Lance couldn’t see it.

     He wouldn’t be able to live a happy life with Lance if those two Alteans were always chasing him though. That thought made him frown and pushed the pedals faster. He hoped that maybe if they kept going in a straight line they’d be too far for his enemies to find him.

     But it was no use. Every time he tried he found the ocean blocking his path. Every stop made him more and more frustrated and Lance had taken notice. Lance, who had been smiling at first was now confused and by his friend’s sudden rage. He had been having a good time. He seemed to be enjoying the cooling wind and even rested his head on Keith’s shoulder as they rode around, but Keith was too determined to care.

     After awhile Keith stopped at a rock top. The waves crashed against the rock but it wasn’t calming him down this time. He let go of the bike, allowing it and Lance to fall and crash as he screamed to the sky in frustration, ruffling up his hair in unison.

     “Ow! What the hell man!? What’s your problem!?”

     Keith looked over to see Lance get up and stomp over to him, their faces only inches apart as they glared into each others eyes.

     “You were just happy a little while ago. What happened all of a sudden?”

     “Nothing happened! I’m just angry!”

     “You can’t be ‘just angry’. No one gets ‘just angry’ like that.”

     “Well I do!”

     “Keith, seriously! What’s wrong?”

     “NOTHING! LEAVE ME ALONE!” Keith heaved. He raised his voice louder then he expected. What was worse is that there was pain in Lance’s eyes.

     He watched as Lance took a step back and sighed. It was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

     “Are you really not going to tell me?”

     Keith shook his head. “I can’t.”

     “Is it about your bullies?”

     Keith looked down at his feet and nodded.

     Lance lifted Keith’s chin with one hand and placed the other on his shoulder, his eyes focused and staring intently into Keith’s, who couldn’t help but stare back with the same expression.

     “Keith. We’re family now. Family tell each other everything, okay?”

     "I told you I can’t tell you.”

     Lance frowned harder and pulled Keith in for a hug. His arms were wrapped around Keith’s back and his chin laid on his shoulder.

     “You don’t have to now, but don’t keep it from me forever. Please.” Lance said in a soft tone.

     Keith’s face began flushing at the warm embrace. One of his arms hovered in the air as the other lightly patted Lance’s back followed by a moment of silence.

     “...Keith?”

     “Yeah?”

     “Do you know how to hug a person?”

     “Of course I do?”

     “Then hug me properly, dammit!”

     He hugged Keith tighter, causing butterflies to flutter in Keith’s stomach. He liked the hug. He liked it too much. Someone had finally hugged him after all these years and to top it off, it was his cute friend. It was so overwhelming he felt like he’d melt from embarrassment.

     Even so he did what Lance demanded and roped his arms around Lance’s back, his arms touching his back ever so lightly.

     Lance sighed, “Wuss.”

     Keith felt his eye twitch, “What did you just call me?”

     “I called you a wuss. What’s wrong with your hugs? Too manly to hold me tight?”

     “I can hold you tight just fine!”

     And so Keith held Lance tighter then before, keeping his arms warped around Lance’s body and making sure he wouldn’t be able to move. Lance kept his squeeze on Keith too, tightening it a little more just to show up Keith. It was a mutually warm embrace with faces containing a deep shade of red and soft laughter in the mix.

     After their hug, Lance took the wheel and Keith rode on the handle bars. Once they reached town they set the bike where they stole it and began walking around instead. Keith learnt all sorts of things about Earthling culture throughout the day, like how their ball games don’t inquire someone getting hurt. Lance and Keith had left their shoes and socks on the grass as they went sea shell hunting. A ball was thrown towards them and a scrawny man with long curly hair came over asking to pass it, and Keith threw it at his head, causing him to fall over. At first Keith cheered and smiled, but soon realized that no one else was. Not even Lance. Apparently humans didn’t play the way Galras did.

     Later that day the two boys were eating shaved ice when a strange creature with four legs and a long nose sniffed Keith’s backside. Instinctively Keith yelled and threw the ice at it. That was when he learnt what a dog was.

     And the last thing they did for the day was ride a spaceship-- or what Keith thought would be a space ship. He ran over to it and sat in, pressing the buttons and trying to move the gear shift. He saw Lance place a coin in some slot and hopped in afterwards. Keith then learnt that it was only going to rock back and forth. Lance however was still enjoying himself, pretending it was actually flying while Keith heaved a big sigh and slouched into the seat. He could hear the Alteans laughing in the distance too.

     Night had already fallen by the time they met Allura at her job. A man shouted on a wooden stage as he flipped two wooden batons around with flames on each end. He only had one arm, but that didn’t stop him from twirling and juggling them around. The crowd watched in a silent awe as he let the batons relax on the nape of his neck. He picked up a bottle and filled his mouth with a liquid, then dropped the bottle and leaned over to let the batons slide back to him. Once they were in his hands, he held them up to the sky and blew out, making the fire increase in size for just a moment. Everyone cheered and clapped as the man took a bow, but just then the grass roof fell in front of him, causing a small amount of panic.

     Keith couldn’t help but chuckle at the once confident man now frantically stomping out the flames. Lance however was too busy drawing to pay attention. Once he was done with it, he placed the drawing in front of Keith. Keith looked down at the red and white silhouette and tilted his head.

     “What is that suppose to be?” Keith asked.

     “It’s your badness level.” Lance replaced the drawing back in front of him and folded his hands together, “It’s unusually high and very unpredictable. We need to fix that.”

     Keith was about to make a retort when Allura sauntered over with a tray of dirty dished in her hand. Her usual long dress was switched for a teal tube top with a skirt and flats to match.

     “Hey you two. Enjoy dinner?”

     “Yeah, thanks Allura.” Keith said while Lance smiled in agreement.

     “Now that you’re done, You two should talk to the manager about getting a job here.”

     Lance pointed his crayon at Allura. “Wait what about dessert?”

     Allura’s shoulders slumped, “Lance I’m serious.”

     “We will after cake!”

     Allura sighed, grabbed their dirty plates and walked off into the building behind them. Lance was still smiling so Keith assumed that reaction meant ‘fine’ in Allura’s book. After she left the man who danced on stage walked by.

     “Hey Shiro! I check out my new friend!” Lance called out.

     Shiro looked over and immediately reached his hand out with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Shiro.”

     Keith smiled back then took his hand for a shake, “You too. I’m Keith.”

     “So, where’d you two meet?”

     “At the beach today. Allura wanted to volunteer, although we didn’t actually do anything.”

     Just as Lance said that Allura came back with two pieces of cake and forks to go with it. Once she set it down Lance and Keith began to dig in. As they took bites of their cake, Allura looked at Shiro with concern.

     “Shiro did you catch fire again?”

     Shiro shook his head and waved his hand, “No, just the stage.” He then cleared his throat and placed his hand over the nape of his neck. “Listen, if you’re not doing anything this-”

     “Shiro I told you I can’t I...” She looked over at Keith and Lance who were now watching them as they talked. She leaned closer and spoke softly so Keith didn’t catch what she said.

     Shiro shrugged, “I know, I know. I just thought you might need sometime to...”

     Allura sniffed Shiro and scrunched her nose as she leaned away from him. "You smell like a lawn mover.”

     Keith emphasized with Shiro as he checked his breathe. Allura seemed focused on something else and looked over her shoulders.

     “Look I have to go. The kid at table three is throwing food again. How about some other time okay?” Allura then walked off, leaving Shiro with a disappointed smile.

     "Don’t worry, she likes your butt and little white hair fluff.” Lance said after another bite of cake. “I know. I read her diary.”

     Shiro grinned sheepishly with an eyebrow raised while stroking his white bangs, “My... hair fluff?”

     “And Keith likes your rippling abs and bulging pecs.”

     Keith almost chocked on his cake. He heard Shiro snicker and tried looked up at him, but his face was already too red and kept his gaze on the table. He then noticed Shiro’s shadow hovering over him, making Keith hunch over in embarrassment more.

     “Thanks Keith." Keith felt Shiro’s large hand ruffle his hair. Once his hand was lifted, Keith looked up just in time to see Shiro smile and walk off. Keith sighed with relief, knowing that Shiro reacted so kindly, but the red in his face still lingered. He knitted his brow together as he leaned closer to Lance with a glared. Lance just smiled proudly.

     “Why did you tell him that?” Keith growled under his breathe.

     Lance shrugged, “He was feeling down and I know you were thinking that.”

     Keith rolled his hands into fists, “How did you know that?”

     “Because that’s what I think.”

     “Then why didn't you tell him you were thinking it!?”

     “He needs new people to compliment him. He’s lonely!” Lance took the few last bites of his cake as he spoke.

     Keith sighed. He didn’t want to argue at that. Shiro seemed like a nice guy and definitely deserved some compliments, but he was still embarrassed.

     “I’m going for a walk.” Keith stood up and began walking off, passing a nearby couple. At first he thought nothing of it, but then his arm was grabbed and his ankles kicked, causing him to fall to his back.

     “Hunk, pin him down!”

     It was Pidge and his friend again. Hunk leaned over Keith and pressed one of Keith’s wrists to the ground. He tried the other wrist but Keith was too fast and bit him before he could pin down completely. Hunk then shrieked and waved his arm frantically, as Keith held on.

     “He’s biting me, he’s biting me! Pidge hurry!”

     Pidge rummaged through Hunk’s purse as Hunk continued to bop Keith on the head. Once they got out the cuffs and approached Keith, he kicked them out of their hand and pushed them on the ground. Keith then let go of Hunk and tried to kick him away. Hunk was too strong and only took a step back, but Keith took the opportunity to kneel on top of Pidge and grab them by the shirt. Keith brought them up so they were face to face. Keith’s face hurt from how knit his brows were. Pidge looked tense and nervous.

     “What do you want from me? Why don’t you just leave me alone?”

     Pidge opened their mouth for a moment, but was again interrupted by someone else. Allura kicked Keith off of Pidge with her foot, causing him to tumble over. She was much faster then Hunk, and sat right on top of Keith, then pushed his face into the dirt before he tried to get up. He tried to glance up a little and when he did two large feet were by his face.

     “Allura, do you know him?” Allura got up from Keith and stood by the man.

     “Uh...”

     “Oh don’t worry about us. Kids will be kids, right?” Hunk said in a high pitched voice as Pidge sat down with their arms crossed and a scowl on their face.

     "Allura, this is not working out.” The man ignored Hunk and said in a low deep voice.

     “But!”

     He folded his arms and shook his head.

     Allura sighed, “Fine, whatever. Who wants to work here anyway?”

     As Lance helped Keith up, she turned around and glared at the Keith. It seemed like she wanted to say something but she stopped when she looked at Lance. “Let’s go you two.”

     After Allura changed her clothes, the three walked out of the luau and headed for home, however they didn’t make it far by the time Allura came to a halt. Keith could feel his fingers shaking from what was going to come. He knew what she’d say.

     Her back was turned to the boys and her fists curled into balls. “Keith, I need you to leave us alone.” 

     “No!” Lance shouted.

     Keith knew it was coming but his eyes still widened as if surprised, “Allura please I--”

     “I told you if you messed up you’d be kicked out. And you did.”

     Lance stormed over to Keith and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. “You can’t get rid of him! He’s family now!”

     “Lance let go of his hand. We’re leaving!” Allura turned to the boys and grabbed both their wrists. Keith squeezed Lance’s hand back by instinct while Allura tried to separate their hands. Lance only squeezed tighter.

     “Allura stop!”

     “You stop! You always do this! Rules are rules Lance!”

     Allura managed to tear them apart, resulting in Lance digging his heels into the ground as Allura dragged him away. Keith knew it was time to say goodbye, but he couldn’t help but reach his hand out as Lance reached out to him.

     “Let’s go!”

     “No! He’s an orphan and we adopted him! What about Ohana!”

     “He hasn’t even been here that long!”

     “None of us have! Both of our dads and even Coran said Ohana means family.”

     Allura stopped in her tracks, giving Lance a chance to get his footing. Keith darted his eyes back at the both of them as they stood there.

     “Ohana means family. Family means-”

     “Nobody gets left behind.”

     “Or...?”

     “Or forgotten. I know, I know.” Allura sighed and let go of Lance’s hand. Lance’s goofy grin returned and he ran back to Keith to give him a hug. It all happened so fast that Keith was flabbergasted. As Lance tightened his embrace, Keith stared at Allura, who grinned haphazardly.

     Keith had to ask. “So... I can live with you now?”

     Allura nodded. “Yes you can. But please don’t make me lose my job anymore. We don’t have that kind of money.”

     Keith rubbed Lance’s back as he spoke, “I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t mean for anything bad to happen.”

     “Just don’t do it again. Please.”

     Keith nodded.

     Lance then let go and wrapped an arm around Keith’s shoulders. “Let’s go home then!”

     And so they did.

#

     Once they made it home, Allura headed to her room while Lance and Keith headed to theirs. Lance opened the door and bowed while pointing his hand inside.

     “Welcome home ml’man.”

     Keith’s silence and deadpan face expressed that he did not care for Lance’s joke. Lance was unfazed by Keith’s disinterest and stretched his arms out, gesturing to the whole room.

     “This is my room! And this is where we’ll sleep.” He sat on the bed and patted it.

     “It’s not the biggest bed but we’ll fit. Allura and I lounge on it all the time.”

     Lance opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as he watched Keith explored his room. It was almost as if it was the first time Keith had seen any of it. Keith gently caressed the wood of his bookshelf and picked up the model plane that laid on top. After his giving a good look he moved on to the posters of Elvis that hung on the wall, then the aquatic creatures poster. After looking at some of Lance’s rough sketches he turned back to Lance. They gazed into each other’s eyes. Keith seemed confused and amazed, as if Lance had just done something new. Lance wished he could see what was going on inside his friends head.

     “Hey Keith?”

     “Yeah?”

     “You want to lay down? You must be tired.”

     “Yeah, just a sec. I want to look around more.”

     “Okay, well I’m going to sleep. I’ll leave room for you when you’re done.”

     Keith nodded as he continued to search. Lance changed into his light blue pajamas and left out his darker blue pair for Keith. He then took one more look at Keith before crawling under the covers and laying his head down, quickly drifting off from the eventful day.

#

     Not too far away Hunk was settled in his sleeping bag, his dress and wig neatly placed to the side as Pidge continued to watch Keith through their binoculars.

     “Pidge you should really get to sleep.” Hunk said, watching Pidge from behind.

     They huffed but reluctantly listened and shuffled them self in their own sleeping bag, sighing as they stared up at the stars.

     “What’s wrong buddy? Still upset over the fight?”

     “No that’s not it. I just kind of feel bad for Keith.”

     “Really? What’s going on in there?”

     “He’s just walking around. Looking at everything like he’s never seen any of it before.”

     “Well, he is on an alien planet. Kind of.”

     “But some of that stuff in there are just drawings, toys and posters. Kids on all planets have those. That’s not weird.” Pidge sighed, “All I wanted was for the Galra empire to realize how big of dicks they were, but I think all I did was ruins someone’s life.”

#

     Lance moaned and shifted in bed as he felt himself being shaken on the shoulder, along with soft whispers.

     “Lance. Lance wake up.”

     Lance rubbed his eyes and sat up. He saw Keith holding a book open.

     “What is this?” Keith asked as he sat next to Lance.

     Lance took the book, placed it down on his lap and pointed.

     “That’s the ugly duckling. He’s sad because he’s all alone and nobody wants him, but on this page his family hears him crying and finds him. Then the ugly duckling is happy because he knows where he belongs.”

     Keith stared down at the page as he tapped his lips with his fingers, looking lost in thought. Keith then closed the book and set it to the side. As he was about to lay down Lance took a disc out from under his bed and showed it to him with a smile.

     “Want to listen to the king? You look like an Elvis fan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy! Please leave a comment if you are! It helps keep me inspired. 


	5. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is getting harder for me to change it to fit Keith and Lance, and with my lack of inspiration, I decided to end the story here. Although this will not mean I will stop writing in general! Please seek out my art blog, Karpostuff, for any new updates on what I do next!

It was the next morning when Lance woke up with the sun shining on his face and Keith just inches away from him. Flush crossed his cheeks as he brushed Keith’s bangs aside to get a better look at his face. He was still asleep and breathing softly. It was the first time Lance had seen Keith so relaxed. Since he met Keith he had noticed he was always a little tense. His shoulders were usually hunched, along with his arms crossed and his brow always forward. Lance assumed it was because of his bullies. They could be anywhere, but Lance hadn’t really seen them.

Lance frowned at what he did see though. Keith was almost always covered up, but Lance could still get a glimpse of cuts and bruises from under his clothing. Lance had already noticed that Keith wasn’t going to open up about his past, so asking about the wounds was out of the question, however now Keith’s jacket was placed to the side and his arms were tucked close to his chest, making some of his skin more visible. Lance carefully picked up the corner of the blanket and slid it down to Keith's waist a bit to get a better look. There weren’t as many cuts as he thought there’d be, and luckily none of them seemed deep, but there were blotches of purple on his elbows and triceps. He caressed the purple spots on Keith’s arm. They weren’t bumpy like a rash and they were one solid color unlike a bruise. Lance wanted to stop worrying about it, but he’d never seen anything like it in his life.

Just then there was a knock on the front door. Lance looked up as Keith moaned and rubbed his eyes, he then felt Keith jerk his arms back. Lance brought his attention back to Keith, who was cupping his elbows with his hands as he gazed at the ground.

“Keith I…” Lance tried to reach out to him, but he only back himself up with the heels of his feet. He then looked behind him, seeing his jacket there and put it on before standing up and heading towards the door. Lance however wasn’t going to let him walk away and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. Keith shot a glare at Lance as he tried to pull him off, but Lance wouldn’t budge and stood up to face Keith.

“Lance, let go.” Keith demanded.

He tightened his grip on Keith's sleeve, “No. I have to talk to you.”

“You can talk to me out there.”

“You want Allura to know about the purple spots?”

Keith stayed silent. Lance let go of his sleeve and took that a sign to continue.

“Look, I know you don’t want to talk about your past. I get that. But I need some answers. Even just a little one.”

Keith sighed and nodded. “Okay. You get one questions and that’s it.”

Lance groaned, “Just one?”

Keith folded his arm. “Take it or leave it.”

Even if it wasn’t much, Lance grinned at his opportunity and took a deep breathe to prepare himself for the question.

“Okay. First question–”

“Only question.”

“What are those purple spots on your arm?” Lance pointed to Keith’s elbow. Keith looked in the direction he was pointing and took a step back.

“It’s nothing.”

“Keith, it can’t just be nothing!”

“But it really is nothing!”

“How?! It’s not a bruise or a rash or a disease?”

“No!”

“People don’t just have purple elbows Keith!”

“Well I do!”

Lance sighed as he looked to the floor. He could feel the frown on his face growing, as the argument went on. All he wanted to do was help his friend. He wished Keith would let him. 

“You’re not… you’re not going to die are you?”

“What, no, of course not!” Keith was taken aback by the question.

“I just, I don't lose my only friend," Lance looked at Keith with a somber expression, "You promise you're okay?" Keith seemed horrified and confused. He took a few steps forward and placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder.

“It’s nothing bad, I promise. I won’t die.”

Lance gazed into Keith’s eyes, checking to see if his expression would waver and show that he was lying. After a few moments of staring at Keith’s determined expression, Lance sighed with relief and nodded.

“Okay.”

Keith gave Lance a sympathetic smile and patted him on the back. “Now let’s go get breakfast, okay?”

Once the boys walked out of the room, they saw Allura talking to Coran at the door. Coran’s arms were crossed with a stern expression on his face while Allura had an apologetic smile on hers. As they spoke, Lance walked down the stairs, followed by Keith and waved with a big smile.

“Good morning, everyone!” Lance said.

Coran and Allura looked over and gave the boys a genuine smile.

“Good morning you two,” said Allura.

“Good morning Lance! And you must be Keith. Allura was just talking about you.” Coran reached his hand out for a shake.

Keith smiled and shook his hand, then Lance went in for a hug from Coran.

Coran hugged him back. “Good to see you’re better Lance!”

Lance smiled shyly and rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah I’m good. What brings you here today, Coran?”

“Actually I’m glad you asked. I want to see you and your new friend get a job.”

Lance groaned and slumped his shoulders. Keith was unfazed.

Allura jumped in, “I’ve already told them. Actually we're going to look for jobs today.”

“Good to know! Maybe Keith here will inspire Lance to work hard too!” Coran’s smile was filled with hope and determination.   
Lance could only force a smile back. “Let’s eat breakfast first though, okay?”

“Alright, I’ll let you to it! But remember-” He pointed to the two boys, “-jobs for the both of you, okay?”

“Yeah, we will.” Lance said.

“Goodbye now!” And with that Coran had left.

After Coran left they had breakfast, got ready for the day and headed out.

Their first destination was a fruit stand run by a little old lady. She was watering her fruit when Allura approached her with a paper in hand. She leaned down and began talking to her.

As Allura talked to the old lady, Lance and Keith stayed a few steps away with a kid’s wagon by their side, carrying Lance’s Elvis disks, amplifier, guitar and suitcase. Keith sat down and watched, as Lance took out a picture of Elvis and let it rest on the amp.

“This is Elvis Presley. He made a lot of money by being attractive and talented. He didn’t make money off of working retail, so we won’t either.”

Lance smiled, “The best way to go about this is learning to dance.” Within the bottom of his wagon was his grass skirt. He took it out and placed it in front of his hips while shaking it back and forth.

“Come here, I want you to try it.”

“No.” Keith frowned.

“What why not?”

“It looks silly.”

“It’s not silly, it’s traditional!” Lance tied the skirt around his waist. “See?”

Keith raised an eyebrow and pouted his lips. Lance looked down at himself and realized that the grass skirt didn’t look very good with jeans.

Lance shrugged, “Okay. I see your point, but it looks better with the whole outfit, I swear!”

“Why don’t you just show me the dance?”

Lance pouted, but nodded in agreement and placed his hands on his hips. “Get up and do what I do.”

Keith listened and posed himself in the same way Lance was standing. Lance bounced his hip to the side, and Keith followed after. It was only one move but Lance could tell Keith was already having fun. Lance then continued to show Keith dances by raising his arms up and stretching out one leg. Keith was quick to follow every step along the way. Eventually they ended up twirling each other around, resulting in them falling into the fruit and squishing a bunch of cherries, with a few watermelons that had fallen and now laid cracked on the floor. Allura and the boys apologized for the destruction, paid for the damages and went to their next job. They were scolded by Allura along the way.

The next job location was a small coffee shop. Allura stood by the front door, talking to the owner while Keith and Lance stood by an empty umbrella table. Lance took out a guitar form his wagon and handed it to Keith.

“This is step two. Elvis could play the guitar. Do you?”

“No, but I think I could figure it out.”

Lance watched as Keith played around with the guitar. He held it with the neck facing down and rested his chin on the body as he began to play.

“Um Keith that’s not how you play it…”

Keith hadn’t been listening though and played it was if it was no problem. The song was fast but something Lance had never heard in his life. There was then a high pitched noise that broke all the glass within a few feet. Keith seemed pretty proud of himself, but Lance knew it meant Allura wasn’t going to get them a job, and they’d have to pay for the damages, and get another scolding from Allura.

The last area they went to was the beach, the same one they met Keith at, except this time there were people sunbathing and playing in the water. Allura headed over to the life guard while Keith and Lance stayed by the grass as they got ready for their performance.

They were wearing sparkling jumpsuits, a blue one for Lance and white for Keith, with flared bottoms and golden belts. Lance’s top was unbuttoned and showed a bit of cleavage, while Keith kept his closed. Lance assumed it was to hide his purple patches.

After handing Keith a guitar and plugging in the amplifier, Lance picked up his own guitar and guided Keith to an open spot on the sand. Lance smiled as the beach dwellers began to take notice of them and leaned over to Keith.

“You ready?”

Keith nodded, “Yeah.”

“Alright, then let’s knock them dead!”

Lance played lead guitarists while Keith did backup. People started smiling and cheering as they played. They approached closer and with their phones and started taking photos and videos. Lance enjoyed it all. He winked and smiled through the whole endeavor. When he checked to see how Keith was though, his smile faded. Keith had stopped playing and instead was cowering and shading his eyes from the flashes. Lance reached out to Keith, but he was too late.

Another teen had gotten too close with his phone. Keith looked over at the flash and whacked it out of the guy's hand.

"Hey!" The guy shouted. He went to pick up his phone, while a child approached Keith. He used his water gun to squirt Keith in the face, which Keith then ripped it out of his hands and chucked it to the side. He glared at the child as his mother pulled him back.

"Keith!" Lance shouted as he placed a hand on Keith's shoulders. Keith looked over and calmed down when he saw Lance's worried face. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, as Keith let his breathe go back to normal. They then heard Allura call out in the distance.

"Keith, Lance, What is going on?"

"Uh..." Not knowing what to say, Lance looked over to Keith.

"Sorry, the flashing kind of freaked me out." Keith said while rubbing his neck.

Allura sighed, "Well, at least no real harm was done. Lance, get your stuff so we can go."

"What about the job?" He looked behind her to see the tall life guard. She frowned at Lance and shook her head. "Oh..."

"Yes, it I figured it wouldn't go well after seeing we knew each other."

"Sorry Allura." Keith said.

Allura gave him a small smile, "It's okay Keith. Let's just go before we get into more trouble."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> And thank you Taffy for giving me permission to make this AU after being inspired by theirs!  
> Make sure to go check out Taffy's Lilo and Stitch AU!  
> http://taffydesu.tumblr.com/tagged/voltron  
> And here's the permission if you were curious.  
> http://taffydesu.tumblr.com/post/148589600354/i-was-wondering-if-you-wouldnt-mind-me-making-a


End file.
